Waltz with Bashir—like Persepolis and The Chicago 10 before it—focuses on a politically charged, nonfictional event with such force and thoughtfulness that it recasts the dramatic potentials of long-form animation. A standout of the main competition section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, director Ari Folman’s tour de force explores the posttraumatic stress-clouded memories that are the legacy of his service in the Israeli army during the massacres at Sabra and Shatila in 1982. (It would not be an exaggeration to say that in the Middle East “Sabra and Shatila” carry the weight and watershed sense of history that “9/11” does in the United States.) Set off by a recurring nightmare, Folman is moved to find out whether his horrific wartime memories are real or fantasy. He sets out to locate others he fought alongside of, finding that excavating the truth is not only painful, but also quite difficult. Due to the malleable, expressive nature of animation, Waltz with Bashir communicates essential ideas about the subjective nature of truth. It’s a direct and uncompromising look at the effects of war, and one of the most inventive and powerful films of the year.

Written by Ari Folman (88 min, In Hebrew with English subtitles, Sony Pictures Classics)